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Double Bass Are Dunlop Cleaning Products Okay?

Heavystringsguy

Heavystringsguy

Jul 16, 2011
73
21
Denton, Tx
#1
Really not trying to plug Dunlop here just that I use this for my electric bass and I was wondering if it would damage my double bass. It's got a "tiger grain [finish] on aged maple back. Hand applied shading varnish on selected spruce top". There is some "personality" also, a few small cracks, tiny dents and scratches. I attached the products I plan on using. And yes, I know a little water/cloth would do the job, but I'm asking if THIS STUFF is okay to use, i.e. safe and won't destroy my finish. Thanks TB.
 

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#4
Jake is going to know a lot more about varnish than I am, but it tends to be a secret club with a much more complicated handshake than can be explained on talkbass.

In a nutshell, you typically find either a nitro or poly finish on electric guitars/basses. Essentially nitrocellulose is a mix of an acid and resin, was used to make cars more exciting colours than black, and is pretty hard on the environment. Polyurethane is essentially a plastic. It hardens to the point that there's very little you can do to it chemically, but if it chips it is a pain to repair and make it look nice.

Because of this a lot of the cleaning products designed for electric guitars/basses are designed not to harm the nitro or poly finish. Most of the cleaning they are designed to do is removing oils and oily fingerprints and gunk from your hands.

The problem with using them on a double bass is that most of the varnish used on basses is made very differently than nitro and poly finishes. It has been around a lot longer, and it tends to involve oil and various natural pigments. While it can provide a certain amount of protection to the instrument and look absolutely stunning, you can imagine what a cleaning product specifically designed to remove oils and natural "gunk" can do to the varnish. Depending on what is in the cleaning products and the varnish on your instrument, you can completely strip it off.

Your best option for a double bass is a clean dry rag. If you use it frequently enough you can keep the rosin and other build up off of the instrument and it will look just fine. If you have a fairly cheap instrument that has the kind of shine on it you see on cheap acoustic guitars there is a chance that it isn't varnish, but you don't want to find out the hard way.
 
#5
+1. Also, most older basses with a spirit varnish will have lots of tiny little cracks in the varnish, if not the wood itself. Rub anything on there and it will get into those cracks and never come out! You can buy "violin cleaner" which evaporates. It will get dirt and rosin off more effectively than just a clean rag, but better to not let the bass get to the point where it is needed. As for slabs, I think they sell stuff like that just 'cause people want it. I bet most customers who buy guitar polish have pristine instruments you need sunglasses to look at.
 
#7
Heavystringsguy said:
Really not trying to plug Dunlop here just that I use this for my electric bass and I was wondering if it would damage my double bass. It's got a "tiger grain [finish] on aged maple back. Hand applied shading varnish on selected spruce top". There is some "personality" also, a few small cracks, tiny dents and scratches. I attached the products I plan on using. And yes, I know a little water/cloth would do the job, but I'm asking if THIS STUFF is okay to use, i.e. safe and won't destroy my finish. Thanks TB.
Click to expand...
I go over my bass with this when I change strings. In between, I just use a dry cloth.

cleanpolish.jpg
 

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